Govanhill is a district

District

Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...

 in the Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 city of Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

. It is situated south of the River Clyde

River Clyde

The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....

 between the Gorbals

Gorbals

The Gorbals is an area on the south bank of the River Clyde in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. By the late 19th century, it had become over-populated and adversely affected by local industrialisation. Many people lived here because their jobs provided this home and they could not afford their own...

, Mount Florida

Mount Florida

Mount Florida is an area in the southeastern corner of the Scottish city of Glasgow.- Details :The origins of the name are uncertain. It has been stated that it derives from Mount Florida House, owned by a family from Florida, USA...

 and Queen's Park

Queen's Park, Glasgow

Situated on the south side of the city of Glasgow, in Scotland, Queen's Park lies approximately two miles from the city centre, and can refer both to the park itself, the adjacent residential district, or the football team Queen's Park F.C.The park was developed in the late 19th century in...

. The council ward has boundaries of Dixon Avenue and Dixon Road to the South, Victoria Road to the West, Butterbiggins Road to the North, and Aikenhead Road to the East.

History

The history of the area is linked to the Dixon family. A prominent ironmaster, William Dixon opened blast furnaces to the south of Govanhill which became known as 'Dixons Blazes'. The area itself was formed in 1877 and the main avenue that runs the length of it is called Dixon Avenue. Some of the local streets were name after the daughters of William Dixon Jnr; Allison Street, Daisy Street, and Annette Street. Successive waves of immigrants from Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 and more recently Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 and Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 have given the area a "rich" multicultural identity.

Govanhill is home to one of Glasgow's original Carnegie libraries

Carnegie library

A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...

, deftly designed in the Edwardian Baroque style by James Robert Rhind

James Robert Rhind

James Robert Rhind, architect, was born in Inverness, Scotland in 1854 and trained as an architect in his father's local practice.He was successful in the architectural competition for new libraries to be constructed in Glasgow following Andrew Carnegie’s gift of £100,000 to the city in 1901...

. The library is situated at the junction of Langside Road and Calder Street.

Recent years

In recent years the area has earned a reputation as a run-down location with high levels of crime. In 2008 a tabloid newspaper tagged Govanhill 'Scotland's murder capital',. However, Govanhill is home to a thriving creative arts community spearheaded by Dance Factory Dance Studios in Calder Street, with South Side Studios and Calder Street Studios both home to visual artists.

Govanhill Baths

The baths were designed by A B McDonald and opened in 1917 after the architect's death. They contained hot baths in the upper storey and three swimming pools on the ground floor. There was a seating gallery around one of the pools for spectators attending events such as galas. There was also a wash-house or "steamie" at the rear of the building, which was converted to a launderette in 1971.
After the council closed the baths, the campaign to save Govanhill Baths began in December January 2001 which resulted in an occupation of the building from March 17 until August 7, 2001 when Sheriff’s Officers accompanied by police removed the protesters and boarded up the pool. Since then, a growing community has continued campaigning for the redevelopment and reopening of the facilities to residents of Govanhill and surrounding communities. The Govanhill Baths Community Trust organises fundraising events, sends out regular newsletters and runs the highly popular Govanhill Baths Open days in which members of the public are shown round the building for free.

Trivia

Notable current and former residents include psychiatrist and author R. D. Laing, born on Ardbeg Street in 1927.

Brian Francis Connolly (aka McManus), lead singer with popular 1970's glam-rock band Sweet

Sweet (band)

Sweet was a British rock band that rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s as one of the most prominent glam rock acts, with the classic line-up of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bass player Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker.Sweet was formed in 1968 and achieved their first...

, was born in Govanhill on 5 October 1945.

Govanhill was featured as the backdrop to the film 'Small Faces

Small Faces (film)

Small Faces is a Scottish film directed by Gillies MacKinnon about gangs, specifically the Tongs, in 1960s Glasgow. It stars Iain Robertson, Joseph McFadden, Steven Duffy, Kevin McKidd, Laura Fraser, Mark McConnochie, Clare Higgins, Garry Sweeney and Alastair Galbraith.The film was produced in...

' in 1996.

External links

• Govanhill Baths Community Trust
• http://www.cnag-glaschu.co.uk/AboutUs.php
• http://www.dancefactory.co.uk
• Southside Festival